Rotary code dater with package blank feeder



w. A. GRAHAM ETAL 3,463,083

ROTARY CODE DATBR WITH PACKAGE BLANK FEEDER` 2 Sheetsv-Sheet 1 WILL/AMA. GEA/#m4,

AL 1 A N K. GREEN,

ATroeA/e-vs Aug. 26, l1969 Filed May 18. 1967 ROTARY CODE DATER WITHPACKAGE BLANK FEEDER Filed May 18, 1967 U8- 26, 1969 w. A. GRAHAM ETAL 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

M//LL/AM A. Genf/AM,

0L/ AM K. GEE/V,

United States Patent O 3,463,083 ROTARY CODE DATER WITH PACKAGE BLANKFEEDER William A. Graham, Baltimore, Md., and Allan Kay Green, Macon,Ga., assignors to J. H. Filbert Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation ofMaryland Filed May 18, 1967, Ser. No. 639,433 Int. Cl. B411? 13/24 U.S.Cl. 101-232 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A code dating assemblyfor utilization with packing machines which includes a coding wheelhaving removable type inserts secured therein, a backing wheel whichcooperates with the coding wheel for impressing code numerals onpackages and a system for synchronously driving the coding wheel toposition the code numerals at the same point on package blanks isdisclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to machines for marking packages and more particularly tomachines designed and adapted to impress a code on packages during thepackaging operation.

Most manufacturers of consumer goods and particularly of goods which aresubject to deterioration or spoilage mark the containers for such goodsin a manner to permit identification of the particular batch or lot agoods, the date upon which the goods were placed on the market, or otherinformation to permit control of such goods to prevent sale of spoiledor deteriorated goods. Conventionally, a code is worked out which isunintelligible to the public but which provides sufficientidentification to the manufacturer and to those familiar with his codingsystem.

Description of the prior art Code marking devices are known in the priorart. Frequently, it is necessary to install a special stage in thepackaging process for encoding the packages either before or after theyare filled. Such devices are often complicated and not dependable. It isan object of this invention to provide a code dating assembly forutilization in a package machine during the packaging operation.

SUMMARY The particular objects and purposes of this invention includethe provision of a novel code dating wheel which has removably receivedcode type inserts therein. Such inserts may be individually removed andreplaced to provide the desired code combination.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a novel drivesystem in combination with a rotary code dating wheel for driving thecode dating wheel in synchronization with a package machine transfermechanism and conveyor to impress a code at substantially the same pointon each package.

A further and important feature and object of the invention is theprovision of a code dating assembly which is adapted to be pivotallyswung upwardly away from the conveyor of a package machine to permiteasy and free access to the package machine parts for adjustment,cleaning and repair.

The specific combinational and constructional features and details ofthe invention as hereinafter disclosed also comprises significantfeatures of the invention disclosed and claimed herein.

3,463,083 Patented Aug. 26., 1969 BRIEF` DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGFIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the code dater assembly attached to apackage machine of a known and standard type.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the code daterassembly as it would appear in operation in the packaging machine and istaken substantially along lines 2 2 of FIGURE 1 looking in the directionof the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse enlarged cross-sectional taken substantiallyalong lines of FIGURE 2 looking in the direction of the arrows showingin detail the coding wheel and the backing wheel constructions.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View taken substantially along lines of FIGURE 3looking in the direction of the arrows showing the side relation of thecoding wheel and the backing wheel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following description,two series of numerals are used. The series beginning with are used todesignate the packaging machine which is of a standard type manufacturedby the Mead Corporation and, as such, constitutes no part of theinvention in the absence of the dating assembly. The elements numberedstarting with 200 specifically are part of the improvement to thepackage machine referred to.

With reference now to FIGURES 1 and 2 in particular, packaging machine100 of a commercially available and standard type includes a pair offrame beams 102 and a folding assembly 104.

The packaging machine includes a main shaft 106 which is supported bytwo journaled end supports 108 and is rotatably driven by a sprocket110, best shown in FIGURE 2, and a chain 112 which is drivinglyinterconnected with any convenient drive means such as an electricmotor.

A blank transfer assembly 114 is carried on the main shaft 106 and ispositioned laterally of the machine by a pair of positioning discs 116.A drive wheel 118 is secured to the shaft for rotation therewith and isheld laterally between wheel positioning discs 116 and carries thereon apluarlity, for example, three, outwardly extending arms 120 which inturn carry laterally adjustably extending arms 122. A plurality ofvacuum cups 124 are carried on the late-rally adjustable arms 122. Thesevacuum cups 124 rotate with the rotation of the main drive shaft 106.The vacuum is supplied through vacuum lines 126 from a vacuum manifold128 which also rotates with the shaft. Means not shown are provided forsupplying a vacuum to the manifold. This, of course, is a part of thestandard machine and is not an integral part of the present invention.

A blank feed support 130 supports a plurality of package blanks 132,best shown in FIGURE 2. The transfer assembly 114 can be moved laterallyand fixed in its lateral position relative to the blanks 132 by means ofa bolt 134 which is secured to a rod 136 which runs laterally of themachine.

The machine :also includes a pair of conveyor chain guide 138 and a pairof chains 140 guided thereby. A plurality of engaging lingers 142 areprovided on the conveyor chains 140.

Operation of the machine In operation, the material to be packaged ismoved under the conveyor assembly by means not shown since this is astandard part of the commercial machine. 'Ihe main drive shaft 106rotates and carries the transfer mechanism 114 rotatably thereon. As thevacuum cups 124 rotate past and in engagement with the package blanks132, the vacuum is applied thereby pulling one blank from the blank feedsupport 130 and depositing the blank on the conveyor chain guide 138. Asthe conveyor chain 140 moves along the engaging fingers 142 securedthereto and protruding upwardy therefrom engage the rear edge of thepackage blanks 132. Each of the blanks 132, then, is moved in specificspaced relation relative to each other blank 132 along a path toward thefolding assembly 104.

As the blanks 132 move toward the folding assembly 104, an upwardlyturned pressure foot 144 presses them downwardly and the material to bepackaged is carried upwardly to engagement with the bottom side of theblanks by a standard mechanism not shown. The folding mechanism thenfolds the sides of the blank 132 first downwardly and then inwardlyunder the material to be packaged. This folding mechanism 104 is astandard cornmercial component and therefore is not shown since it doesnot interact particularly with the dating assembly of this invention.

The code dater assembly The code dater 200 includes a dater wheel 202and a backing wheel 204 which are shown in greater detail in FIGURES 3and 4 to which reference is now made.

The dater wheel includes an annular member 206 and a clamping member 208which is secured by means of a bolt 210 and a U-clamp portion 212 to adrive means to be described.

The annular member 206 is secured by means of bolts 214 to the clampmember. The annular member includes a plurality of apertures 216 whichreceive type inserts 218 which carry on their outwardly extending endsdesired type or symbol characters. The type inserts 218 are `secured bya set screw 220 which is threadably received in a threaded aperture 222in the annular member 206.

The backing wheel 204 includes an annular backing ring 224 which ispreferably made of aluminum carried by a ball-bearing assembly 226 on apin 228 which is, in turn, supported by a clamp 230 and bolts 232 on thedistal end of an arm 234 which is secured at its proximate end by bolt236 to a cross brace 146 of the machine. The backing wheel 204 is spacedfrom the clamp 230 by an annular spacer 238.

The coder wheel 202 is mounted on a shaft 240 for rotation therewith, asshown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The shaft 240, as best shown in FIGURE 1, issupported at its ends by bearings 242 which are in turn secured by bolts244 to a pair of arms 246 which are rotatably received on main driveshaft 106 by means of bearings 248. A sprocket 250 is secured to themain drive shaft 106 and by means of a chain 252, drives the shaft 240by means of sprocket 254.

In order to position the arms in the rst position wherein the daterwheel is adjacent the backing wheel, for example, as shown in FIGURE 4,a pair of laterally inwardly extending pins 256, shown in FIGURE 1, areprovided as a part of the arms. A pair of over center clamps 258 whichare provided with resilient engaging tips 260 and adjustable bolts 262bias the arms downwardly toward the backing wheel to maintain theposition of the coder wheel 202 relative to the backing wheel 204.

Operation of the code dater It will be understood that the packagingmachine operates in all respects identically to the manner in which itwould operate without the code dater assembly except for the additionaloperation of the dater assembly. Thus, when the blanks 132 are carriedalong the conveyor by means of fingers 142 they pass above the backingwheel 204 and below the code dater wheel 202. As shown in FIGURE 4,these wheels are positioned adjacent each other with the type insertsand the type characters extending therefrom such that the distancebetween the type characters and the backing wheel is less than thethickness of the package blanks. Thus, when the package blanks arecarried along the conveyor and the type numerals are in juxtapositionwith the backing wheel, the type numerals will then press the numeralsof characters thereon into the package. This does not destroy theprinting and ornamentation on the package and, in practice, will not beseen by the customer. It is easily recognized, however, by the salesmanwho is familiar with the placement and nature of the code. The packageblanks then pass on to the folding assembly 104 in the manner described.The position of the coding wheel 202 relative to the backing wheel 204may be adjusted `by tmeans of bolts 262 and the resilient nature of thetip 260 and the over center nature of clamp 258 resiliently bias thecode dating wheel 202 toward the backing wheel 204 to accommodate forvariations in thickness of the package blanks.

It is pointed out that while in the specific embodiment the dater wheel202 is positioned above the backing wheel 204, a reverse arrangementwould be possible depending on the type of machine in use. In the Meadmachine, which is shown in part in the drawings, however, it is mostadvantageous to position the dating wheel above the backing wheel. Forother machines, however, or by modifying the Mead machine, theequivalent reverse position could be used.

It will also be understood that while the machine and its operation havebeen described for clarity and understanding that the exact nature ofthe packaging machine is not an essential feature of this invention. Itis necessary only that the package machine have a conveyor system andsome means for transferring package blanks to the conveyor. The presentinvention can then be adapted to emboss the code date in the packageblanks as they pass along the conveyor. Obviously, a different type ofconveyor can be used also. It is therefore, the combination of apackaging machine of this general type Iwith the code dating assembly asdescribed herein which constitutes the essential feature of theinvention.

We claim:

1. In combination with a packaging machine of the type which includes afeed support for package blanks, a conveyor for said blanks, and meansfor transferring the blanks from the support to the conveyor, theimprovement further comprising:

a backing wheel rotatably mounted intermediate the ends of the conveyorsuch that the blanks on the conveyor will pass adjacently thereto;

a coding wheel;

means mounting the coding wheel adjacent the backing wheel such that theblanks on the conveyor Will pass therebetween;

drive means for rotating the coding wheel synchronously with theconveyor such that substantially the same portion of each blank iscompressingly engaged between said wheels to thereby impress a codesymbol at substantially the same positions on each blank as it passesalong the conveyor;

said packaging machine including a main drive shaft which carries thetransfer means thereupon for rotation therewith and wherein the meansmounting the coding wheel comprises:

a pair of substantially parallel arms rotatably secured lat one end onthe main drive shaft and extending therefrom;

a coder drive shaft rotatably mounted at the other ends of said arms,said coder wheel being carried thereon for rotation therewith;

a drive sprocket carried on the main drive shaft;

a driven sprocket carried on the coder drive shaft; and

a chain drivingly interconnecting said sprockets for driving the coderdrive shaft in synchronization with the transfer means and the conveyor.

2. 'lille invention of claim 1 wherein the coding wheel com prises anannular member having a plurality of apertures therein; and

a plurality of individual type inserts secured in said apertures withthe type carrying ends extending therefrom.

3. The invention of claim 1 further comprising:

means selectively biasing said arms toward the backing wheel and forselectively releasing said arms for pivotal movement to carry the coderwheel away from the backing wheel and the conveyor to permit free accessthereto.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the coding wheel comprises:

an annular member having a plurality of apertures therein; and

a plurality of individual type inserts secured in said apertures withthe type carrying ends extending therefrom.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the biasing means comprises a pairof over-center clamp-s secured to said machine for selectively engagingsaid arms.

6. The invention comprises:

of claim 5 wherein the coding wheel therein; and

a plurality of individual type inserts secured in said 5 apertures withthe type carrying ends extending therefrom.

References Cited 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,635,540 4/1953 Atwood101-232 XR 2,767,651 10/1956 Willsea 101-232 3,208,375 9/1965 WorthlOl-35 U.S. Cl. X.R.

